03-08-2004, 04:42 PM
![[Image: rockbassfotw.jpg]](http://i.timeinc.net/fieldstream/images_small/rockbassfotw.jpg)
BASS, ROCK Ambloplites rupestris. Other names: black perch, goggle-eye, red-eye, rock sunfish, goggle-eye perch: French: crapet de roche.
The rock bass is actually a member of the sunfish family and is not a true bass. Rock bass are fun to catch because they can be caught on many types of bait and lures and they put up a decent fight on ultralight tackle. Its meat is white and firm and makes good eating. However, because rock bass prefer protected waters, they may taste muddy or host numerous parasites. Rock bass are known to overpopulate small lakes, making population control measures necessary.
Identification. Although it looks like a cross between a bluegill and a black bass, the rock bass is actually a large and robust sunfish with a deep body; it is less compressed than most sunfish and is more similar to a black bass in shape. The back is raised and the large head is narrow, rounded, and deep. The mouth of the rock bass is also large, especially in comparison to other sunfish; the upper jaw reaches beyond the beginning of the eye but not to the back of the eye. It has 2 connected dorsal fins, 5 to 6 anal fin spines and large eyes.
The rock bass is olive-brown or bronze on the back and sides, with faint lines of tiny dark marks; the centers of the scales below the lateral line also have dark markings, which form 11 or more rows and give the fish a striped appearance. In some rock bass the coloring is lighter but consistent underneath, while others are silver, gray, or white on the belly. The vertical fins have pale circular spots and all fins are usually darker at their margins, while the edges of the anal spines are white, the tips of the pectoral fins are clear, and the pelvic fins sometimes have a white edge. A distinguishing characteristic is the bluish-black blotch found on the tip of the gill covers. The young and breeding adults have a striking "checkerboard" pattern of squarish blotches; during spawning some males become almost black. Rock bass may develop an overall bluish tinge in some waters.
Rock bass are frequently
with the warmouth (Lepomis gulosus). Warmouth have teeth on their 
while rock bass do not. There are also 6 spines in front of the anal fin of a rock bass as opposed to 3 spines in the warmouth. Rock bass may also resemble the mud sunfish; rock bass have a forked tail and rough scales whereas mud sunfish have a rounded tail and smooth scales. Size/Age. The most common size for rock bass is about 8 ounces, though they have been known to reach 3 pounds. Often rock bass in a particular lake will weigh around a pound, with a few fish over 2 pounds. As with most sunfish, however, size is extremely variable, and rock bass living in streams are often stunted. The IGFA all-tackle record is a 3-pound Canadian fish. Rock bass can reach a length of 12 to 14 inches, but are usually less than 8. Although aquarium fish have lived for 18 years, those in the wild live on average 10 to 12 years.
Distribution. Native to the northeastern U.S.A. and southeastern Canada, rock bass range from southern Manitoba east to Ontario and Quebec, and southward through the Great Lakes region and the Mississippi Valley to the Gulf as far as northern Alabama and northern Georgia. They have been introduced into other states including some in the western U. S.
Habitat. Rock bass prefer small to moderate size streams with cool and clear water, abundant shelter, and considerable current; they are plentiful in shallow, weedy lakes and the outer edges of larger lakes, as well as in thousands of smaller lakes and ponds. Rock bass are almost always found over rocky bottoms (resulting in the name "rock" bass) where there is no silt. Young rock bass are frequently found in vegetation. Rock bass are often found in the same habitats as smallmouth bass.
Life History/Behavior. Rock bass are able to reproduce once they are 2 years old or 3 to 5 inches long; spawning occurs from mid-spring to early summer when water temperatures range from 60 to 70 degrees F. Males move into the shallows three or four days before the females to establish territories; they begin building round nests in gravelly or sandy areas near weed beds or other protection such as submerged tree trunks, using their pectoral, anal, and caudal fins to fan the gravel for the nest.
Spawning occurs during the day, usually in morning, and females spawn at least twice, moving from nest to nest and laying from 3,000 to 11,000 eggs. The adhesive eggs are released and fertilized in short intervals over a period of about one hour; they hatch in three or four days at 69 to 70 degrees F. The males guard the nest until the eggs hatch and the young swim away, and many males nest a second or even third time. After spawning, the adults leave the nesting area for more protected habitat.
Rock bass are a schooling fish often found in association with other sunfish and smallmouth bass.
Food and Feeding Habits. Young rock bass feed on minute aquatic life when young, then insects and crustaceans as they grow. Adults eat mostly crayfish, as well as minnows, insects, mollusks, and small fish. This varies with season and location. They can consume relatively large specimens because of their large mouths. Some evidence shows that they feed during the day with a peak of feeding activity in late afternoon, while other evidence supports the claim that they feed both day and night. Generally rock bass feed on the bottom, but may occasionally feed near the surface.
[signature]
]
][